At first it made me angry, both at the Church of England for complaining and the BBC for running the story without checking any of the facts:

– the Bishop says “hundreds of people are gunned down in the cathedral”You shoot aliens. Most of them are giant scorpion-like leapers. You don’t even shoot hundreds of them.

– “gun culture” is being promoted to “kids”The game has a 15 certificate. No kids allowed.

– Sony didn’t ask permissionTo use a medieval building? I don’t think the architect would mind.

– “a virtual cathedral – identical to Manchester Cathedral”Except for half the tower being missing, a big hole in the back wall, it being used as a field hospital and being infested by aliens.

– constant reference to Sony as the creator of the gameResistance: Fall of Man was written by Insomniac Games in Burbank, California. It’s amazing enough that they even know there is a cathedral in Manchester.

Then add to that a big helping of hypocrisy when it appeared that the church just wanted money – “a substantial donation – otherwise it will consider legal action.” Turn the other cheek, eh?

Now it amuses me. I suppose, if you have a big invisible friend whispering in your ear, it is very easy to get confused between real life and saving the world from an alien invasion in an alternative 1950s version of England.

Disclosure: I have a PS3 and a copy of the game. I gave the cathedral setting (maybe 10 minutes in 6 or 7 hours of play) less thought than I did the bus depot in York. Until now.